The city is staging the Teqball World Series - which has attracted players from more than 30 countries and is the biggest international event of the year to date.

Kraków is an appropriate location as the city is hosting the 2023 European Games alongside the wider Małopolska region next year, where teqball will debut as a full medal sport.

This is a far cry from the sport's early days in Poland five years ago, when players trained and competed in a school hall in Warsaw.

"We have been active in teqball since 2017," said Listkiewicz.  

"As one of the first in Europe and the world we started to develop the sport. 

"We played the first tournaments in a small school hall in Warsaw's Podkowa Leśna, which can be safely called the cradle of Polish teqball and where many players come from. 

"Today, we have the honour to organise yet another great international event in beautiful Kraków, and this makes us proud.

"It is a witness to the rapid development of this sport."

The World Series began yesterday and will run until Saturday (September 17) at Centrum Sportu Parkowa.

Poland also organised last year's World Championships in Gliwice, where the hosts won two medals in the singles events.